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Posted on: Monday, 24 November 2014

Alexander Wang x H&M: The Dupes

Missed the Alexander Wang x H&M collection? Out of your price budget? here are my close picks to this year's anticipated designer collab...


Alexander Wang x H&M Parkawith down gilet 
£149.99
Vera Moda Nerola Parka in Grey
£33.00 (on Sale)







Alexander Wang x H&M
Perforated pattern bikini
£34.00
Winnie- New York  Noir byTriangl
$97 AUD (£52.79)


Alexander Wang x H&M Yoga Mat
£39.99


Primark Work Out Exercise Mat
£5.00

Warehouse PU jogger
£42.00
Alexander Wang xH&M leather joggers
£179.99



Sweet Blue Dress with Cross over Detail by three Floor
£115.00
Alexander Wang x H&M Figure fit dress
£59.99


Alexander Wang x H&M textured Jumper
£179.99
Stripe quilted crop sweatshirt
£24.99 (Sale)
Croc effect top by Warehouse
£45.00




























Alexander Wang x H&M bustier
£24.99

























Alexander Wang x H&M Scuba Top
£34.99






Nicole X Biker Sleeve Neoprene Sweatshirt Black
£35.00


While the photos aren't the greatest quality I managed to find a student here at Southampton who is selling very Wang-esque inspired clothing, named 'Tainted'. The line is available at the student store, Re:So. in Southampton, though you can also have a look at the designers' Depop here.












































Posted on: Tuesday, 4 November 2014

High End vs Low End: Eye Shadow Trio



Skinted or Minted? Need a new eye shadow trio this Autumn? It's a toss up between two picks:





Smashbox Photo Op Eye Shadow Trio in Focal Point

Price: £22.00

17 Smokey Eye Shadow Trio in Enraged.

Price: £5.49




























A few months ago, I dumped the my ol' faithful Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette for the Smashbox Eye Shadow Trio in Focal Point. Not a trio I would normally pick, but it adds warmth to my hazel eyes and cool skin tone; whereas the Naked 2 palette has many cool toned colours.

The lightest shade in the Smashbox trio, Champagne is a great shimmer to place across the lid for your base. Flamingo is a more red toned, burnt orange colour but is very wearable and looks great blended with the darker, matte colour Java across the lash line and crease.

However, I've already reached pan with Champagne and is close to running out, and Flamingo and Java seem to have quite a dent that's slowly heading towards the deadly pan stage too.


 For £22.00 every few months for a trio of eye shadows, it makes me want to invest back into a fully packed out Naked palette. However, I stumbled across this bad boy in Boots- the 17 Eye Shadow Trio in Enraged and it shocked me as to how similar it was to Smashbox's.

It definitely has less red undertones, but I swatched it and the pigment was fantastic; just as good as my Smashbox trio.


 Verdict:



Nothing comes close to the uniqueness of Smashbox's Focal Point trio, especially if you're looking for a wearable burnt orange. However, I think I'll give 17's Trio a go, due to colour, pigment and of course, the price!





Posted on: Tuesday, 28 October 2014

The difference between Ebola Media Coverage In The UK and The US is Ridiculous; here's the proof.

Like many of you out there, I think there are far worse things that could happen to us than some of the dribble induced panic that our main-stream media are showing us. 

Juggling in-between 'terrorism', this month the favourite news topic has been, of course, Ebola!

So while we look to the news to keep us updated, how are the U.K and U.S media responding to the spread of the virus?

Russell Howard, a comedian from the U.K sums it up perfectly in his show, Russell Howard's Good News ;



So if you're living in the USA right now, fuck you must be having it rough. Mass hysteria- it's the key to higher ratings!

It seems that the American showed in this video is obviously taking the mick, though I am sure he sums up some of the ridiculous conversations going about right now. 


I would love to hear the news coverage back home in Ireland about Ebola;

"Ebola? Sure you can cure it with some flat 7-Up and rub on some sudocream- cured the famine so it did". 


Posted on: Tuesday, 14 October 2014

October Haul: Autumn Edition

Whilst I have completely fallen off the blogging bandwagon, I have managed to just about keep up with vlogging. Here are my latest haul video where I have picked up some priceless pieces from River Island, Primark, Urban Outfitters and more. 







Enjoy!

London Grammar now available on Spotify






Yes, why did this take so long to happen.  Of all of the most demanded Indie bands that our out there, for some reason Spotify couldn't quite get their hands on the melancholy trio. Until now.

The Album 'If you Wait', is fully available on the site;  I will make certain this album will be promptly played to death to compromise for the long, agonising wait we have had to endure without it.

Will not be attempting to copy any harrowing-opera-esque singing though; I will end up sounding like a dying duck.


What To Listen to:

Hey Now
Wasting my Young Years
Darling Are you Gonna Leave Me
Help Me Lose My Mind (Album Mix Disclosure)


Posted on: Thursday, 13 February 2014

HELP! Last minute everyday Valentine Make-Up look.

Maybe it was the guy that you have been seeing on and off has perked up the courage to ask you out for dinner, maybe it was that passer-by who has asked you to meet for coffee, or maybe it's a blind date at the cinema..

Yup, it's Valentine's Day tomorrow; while many of us envisioned us spending it stuffing our faces, watching the telly and giving the two fingers to show off couples putting up romantic photos on Facebook, it tends to be at times like this that you are asked for a last minute date or meet up by someone that you maybe didn't expect.

This is a reoccurring theme with many of my friends, who are currently pulling their cupboards apart trying to look for decent date wear clothes (bear in mind track suits and pyjama tops have been the staple item for many of us).

Panic sets in- wax legs, pluck eyebrows, find a outfit that's clean, trying to banish spots and dark circles...what about make up?

You want to look fresh faced, sophisticated, cute, healthy, like you made effort with your date but at the same time look like there's been minimal effort.

For this look, I've tried to combine what all these wants and desires. Depending on the event, you could do more or less- it's up to you. It's all about bright eyes with a hint of colour, curled lashes and glowing cheeks.




Here I have gone for a 'Coffee Date' kinda look, hence the cup (oh wow, I'm so creative).
The whole idea of this is that you look as fresh as a daisy, when really you've been sleeping in till the afternoon and living of Asda ready packed meals for a couple of weeks.


I would normally go for a matte foundation, however I used Revlon's Nearly Naked Foundation for a light, dewy glow and so my freckles could show through. I'm a huge eye liner junkie, but this time I swapped it for a swipe of CK's eyeshadow in Tempting Glimmer, then dusted with Urban Decay 2's Half Baked above under the eye and Chopper, with a mix of YDK at the top to define the eye. This helps to open the eye up without having to go  too eyeshadow friendly.
I also love filling every crevice of my eyebrows in, however this time I lightly brushed Urban Decay 2's Tease lightly through the eyebrows. There are a few stray eyebrow hairs on show but we want to keep it looking as natural as possible!Last at not least, I've added Topshop's Blush in High Five to the apples of my cheeks and on to my lips. It leaves a creamy dusty finish so is perfect for both. It is florissant pink but I think looks flattering both lips and cheeks. Again, to keep it natural, I've used no lip liner and no contouring, just a dust of highlight and bronze from Collection.



Products: 

Make-Up:

Urban Decays Naked 2 Palette- £37.00
Garnier Eye Roll On in Light- from £2.99
Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer-£4.19
YSL Touche Eclat in 01- from £19.99
Benefit's "That Gal' Primer-£22.50
Calvin Klein Eyeshadow in Tempting Glimmer- from £1
Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation in 130 Shell- £8.99
Collection's Shimmer and Shade in 01 Pink me up. From £2.50
Benefit's Bad Gal Lash- £17.50
Topshop's Blush in High Five (Possibly Limited Edition).

Hair:

Lee Stafford Original Dry Shampoo- £4.59 in Boots
Lee Stafford Nourishing Miracle Oil-£12.99

Other:

Oral B Dental Floss- approx. £4.99
Poundland's Eyelash curlers- £1.
Primark Flowered fairy lights in Pink- £6
Floral Tea Dress- Primark, £3.00-£8.00
Asda's green tye-dye cup- £1.50


My hair I've left a natural wave, however the weather's nasty at the minute, so I would maybe use a couple of bobby pins to pins parts back. I've used Lee Stafford's Original Dry Shampoo to give my hair some volume. To give it a natural sheen, I've used Lee Stafford's Nourishing Miracle Oil on the ends of my hair.
Also, notice how I put in the dental floss? I may sound like your ma, but don't forget to floss before you go! Especially if its coffee or dinner!

So I hope that's some inspiration for any of you who have last minute dates. Just remember- keep it simple, light and glowing, but show a hint of colour. And of course be natural, not just in your make up but also in your personality! Hope tomorrow goes well for all of you! And of you don't have a date, never worry- that means for chocolate, pizza and movie choices for you to have.
 x

Posted on: Tuesday, 28 January 2014

Is Social Media the way forward for Product Placement?





As R Mandelberg of social media site, ‘Ghost tweeting’ quoted this year:

 “As early as the late 19th century, advertisers recognized the value of product placement as a vehicle for increasing their brands’ visibility.” (2013).

Nowadays, advertising has dramatically had to re-invent itself. ‘Traditional’ advertising such as posters, leaflets, billboards, T.V and radio commercials have become less effective in popular culture: consumers and audiences have subconsciously grown an animosity and insusceptible approach and attitude towards these forms of marketing. 


With the rise of internet, advertising groups have recognised its potential for marketing- with popular media sites including YouTube, Facebook and Twitter and most recently Instagram providing a gateway to potential audiences. However, it seems that audiences still dread ‘blatant’ advertising while browsing the internet. As S.Karp of Publishing 2.0 explains,

 “People have no patience for the [adverts], as they did in traditional media, where we were habituated to looking at print ads or watching TV commercials.”

Research by Dr Jakob Nielsen also highlights this

“Now, when people go online they know what they want and how to do it, he said. This makes them very resistant to highlighted promotions or other editorial choices that try to distract them. Web users have always been ruthless and now are even more so. People want sites to get to the point, they have very little patience.” (S.Karp: 2008)

So what future does Advertising have in Modern Culture? 

Product placement is not a new technique, yet its escalation in the media world has truly expanded. 

Think of many of your favourite television programmes- Modern Family, Friends, Emmerdale, The Big Bang Theory, (Think of American Idol where they have the 'blurred' out Coca-Cola cups, which the Uk has no allowed to show) these and many, many more, use products in their sets and scripts. 
The brand or company pays to have its products 'placed' into the scene or script of a show or series and is then broadcasted an air- hey presto, a 'product placement' is created. 


Ahhh...a classic example.








Hmm..seems they got sick of drinking Coca-Cola turned camera faced round.















Product Placement has recently been allowed fully on U.K Television screens, yet advertisers are quick to realise its potential to consumers on the internet also. For example, Bloggers and Youtube ‘Vloggers’ are often paid by advertisers to use, rate and comment on specific products, thus easing the consumer into wanting the product, rather than being bombarded by advertisements. 




So what media devices are popular currently in modern culture/society?


http://www.statista.com/statistics/222698/consumer-trust-in-different-types-of-advertising/



<a href="http://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/279903/umfrage/apps-mit-dem-groessten-




Social app, ‘Vine’ is one of the most popular and profitable apps in the web market. If you don't know already (really? seriously though, really??) the Vine app allows users to create a short video clip up to 6-7 seconds long and can be shared amongst other Vine and Twitter users. Certain users have also become famous from making these short videos and have daily subscribers to their vines. 






Watch Vines infamous hero,  Jerome Jarre Here:






On September 9, 2013, Dunkin Donuts became the first company to use a single Vine as an entire television advertisement ( Adweek., 2013), there is still potential for product placement with this popular app.  


In the next few weeks I will experiment  by making my own 'Vine' clips. Within those clips I will place items for product placement and see the results-

Will product placement affect this funny, non commercial media app?
Will it promote the sales of the company I use in my video?
Or will it go completely unnoticed?

In the next few weeks I'll update my blog on these Vines and see its results n a few weeks time.

What I also want to know, from you guys, is how you feel about Product Placement-

Do you prefer it to those constant T.V breaks, and pop up breaks that show up on Youtube?
Or do you feel Product Placement ruins the authenticity of medias used for people by people?
Is Product Placement really a good thing? Is it worse to be subconsciously lay products in front of your eyes rather than it being fed straight to you?

Or even do you feel there's other methods of advertising that need to be considered?

What is for certain, is that advertising needs to be more creative and unique-

and If product placement is their only Plan B, will is huge Industry survive much longer? 


-please comment and let me know your thoughts.



'Shelf Life'- Inspiring Home Ideas.


http://www.pinterest.com/magsatron



Doesn't sound like the most interesting of posts- but there is a true shelf 'fetishism' that has bloggers, 'Pinteresters' and bona-fied home lovers alike being smitten by the simplistic, quirky charm of shelves.

Whether they're hanging, floating, balancing- you name it, there's something about these modern ledges that are mesmerising, marvellous and what becomes a simple feature of a house becomes the centre piece of the home.

Whether you are looking for some DIY inspiration or working on a home project, here's some of my favourite designs for you to adore.



http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/diy-project-idea-how-to-make-a-modern-pegboard-shelving-system-199246


http://www.pinterest.com/pin/244038873531177739/


http://blogg.skonahem.com/mormorsglamour/2014/01/23/ommoblering-i-koket/







'Rolling Shelf by Catherine Green









http://ournerdhome.com









The best type of 'shelf'- the bed shelf ...The possibilities are endless.












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